So...whats for dinner?

Darn!!! Just lost another post......

Wll try again...abbreviated version...but never very abbreviated with me.

Never know how many kids we will get for H-ween, so we start well (over) prepared...and often do munch on snickers and such for the following weeks. We could have 5 or 105 kids in any given year. It was more predictable when our kids were young (105!) DH gets disappointed when we have low numbers. He loves going to the door, guessing the costumes (always wrong since he has no idea about kid pop culture), and letting the kids dive into the candy basket. When I see hordes of kids coming down the street I set limits on his generosity so we don't run out.

My favorite score as a child was the candy apples a woman in my neighborhood made.Heaven!!

Imagine what a parent would do with a child's candy apple nowadays!! I did make them one year for DH2's class birthday celebration ( he has a Halloween birthday). I ended up dripping some of the boiling candy syrup on my knuckle, it went deep, and I have a labor of love scar there to this day.

Last night we drove to the North shore to a dinner party....had to drive thru Salem to get there....you can magine how long that took!! The food was good...mainly mediterranean influence. Appetizers of grape leaves, hummus, spanikopita, mushroom tartes, cheeses, olives, etc. Dinner buffet included rare tuna, layered eggplant casserole, brown rice, kale salad with chickpeas, and things I forget. The hostess looks younger than I've ever seen her look, so I think this menu style must be a factor. It was a little rough being at a dinner party during the WS, but they did accommodate the crazed Sox fans with a TV in one of the rooms.

So about this olive oil cake.....are you saying that it should or should not be extra virgin variety? I'm eager to try this.....sounds delightful.....will go back to the links posted to see if I can answer my own question......

Carole, I've really been enjoying your cooking adventures! You are on a roll......:)

This AM I picked up a london broil on sale, so am marinating it for grilling. I will make baked acorn squash, roasted brussells sprouts and garden salad to go with the meat.

By the way, the eggplant rollatine with kale pesto brushed on it was very tasty. I domthink you need to do i teresting things with (to) kale since it is pretty non-descript in terms of taste.....or so I think. But it is such an innocuous, healthy addition to my morning smoothies.

Hahahaha....abbreviated??

Carole - I love the popcorn idea. I will have to get some tomorrow. I have the gigantic Pyrex bowl. I make a Mexican candy in it. I think somewhere I have a microwave bag of popcorn but for some reason DH never eats that. For the black bean recipe Seaside had posted one back on page 24. I copied off and put in my files to try.

Did you get storms today? We had a doozy last night and predicting severe weather on Wed.

I went back to page 25 and copied and pasted Seaside's black bean recipe. I have a black bean recipe on that page, too, that I got from AllRecipes and it is good. I haven't cooked it in a long time. Seaside's is undoubtedly more authentic Cuban. I plan to try it. I also saved her recipe for Chicken with Yellow Rice.

I noticed that we exchanged a lot more recipes in those earlier pages. And Michelle checked in daily. Caring thoughts to her and her family.

Luv, all we got was a light sprinkle of rain. Our weather has been cooler and very comfortable. You don't have to use a huge pyrex bowl. I just bought the nesting clear glass bowls with the lids and I used the second largest one tonight.

Seaside, what is your Cuban recipe for roast pork? I had that in a Cuban restaurant in Tampa and it was delicious along with the black beans. I think the pork was probably marinaded in some mixture with orange juice. I did some research on the internet and orange juice showed up often in the marinades.

Luv - we had terrific storms roar through here around 5:30am. Luckily my area didn't lose power but I understand many in Houston were without.

Carole - Thanks for the popcorn tip. I still make mine in a paper lunch bag. I used to eat popcorn at least 3 times a week & haven't had any since I started chemo last April. Tonight I had a huge bowl with REAL butter & lots of salt. It tasted almost like it used to.

Off tomorrow to get more blood work & meet with the MO to get Echo results before starting the new chemo cocktails on Wednesday. I think I'll stop at Fuddruckers on the way home. If this batch is anything like the last, I won't be eating again until January - except of course BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce & toast) and maybe Cream of Wheat. Oh well, I've had 10 days I could actually eat & even taste some things. You can be sure my brain will still be enjoying all the food discussions & recipes on this thread.

(((Michelle)))

Laurie, I suspect that 20 years from now the "peanut butter pic" is your favorite school picture.

Carole,

When I was checking back to see where I posted the black bean recipe, I read through quite a few pages and it really was a bittersweet walk down memory lane. So much has happened in the last couple of years, both good and bad.

I agree! Seems like we posted more recipes back then. Maybe time to start again!

As for the pork, I have used the Goya Mojo that Luv mentioned and it is good! This is one I've made and it is also good.

10 Garlic Cloves, peeled

1 tsp Salt

1 cup Sour Orange Juice (or a 50-50 blend of sweet orange juice and lime juice)

1 cup Vegetable Oil

1. Mash the garlic and salt into a paste. (The original recipe calls for you to do this in a mortar and pestle but I just run the garlic through a garlic press and then mash the salt in with a fork).

2. Stir in the sour orange juice.

3. In a saucepan, heat the oil just to boiling amd remove it from the heat. Whisk in the orange juice/garlic mixtue until well blended. Caution: If you went a bit too hot on the oil, let it cool slightly before adding the juice so it doesn't spatter everywhere.

Use this to marinate your pork at least overnight. Many recipes are much larger scale and meant to do an entire pig...lol! I have used a pork shoulder butt in the crockpot with sliced onions with success but have not ever reproduced the incredible pork from the Tampa area. Could also do I'm sure in a heavy dutch oven and in a low and slow oven. Would probably be better in fact!

I'm sure Vivian has some of the absolute best in her neck of the woods, too!

This recipe, while not an official recipe, was ridiculously good! Like a Cuban Sandwich in a pork chop! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/butterflied-cuban-style-pork-chops-recipe/index.html

Edited to add: Now that I look at Bobby Flay's recipe, the marinade from that would work for the pork roast, too!

Oh Carole, sorry for the disappointing report card, but I bet you will see some nice changes with your gym work. I have been feeling much healthier since attending to exercising.....even got DH to start at the fitness center I use, and it is fun to do it together. Has your DH's cardio doc recommended any program for him?We are even the owners of matts and foam rollers exercise balls, etc, so our family room now looks like a gym.....that's because I prefer to use that area for floor work instead of our 100 year old basement. I have just had to acknowledge to myself that even tho I never grew up learning a high value on daily exercise and " fitness" ( tho we danced like mad as teenagers;), I do have to change my lifestyle to include stretching, aerobic, and assorted other movements to keep this old body movin'! Of course all that exercise does not stop things like keeping my vitreus sac from pulling away from the retina in both eyes, and scaring me out of my wits!! Had eye doc appt today and it is fine....and supposedly will gradually stop feeling like my eyes are shooting a fireworks show.

Laurie, I love your decision about the school pic!

Minus, sending caring thoughts for a gentle course of treatment.

We are lucky to be able to see our old posts...tho sometimes so bittersweet. I must take a longer stroll there soon.....will definitely be poignant to see Michelle's many posts.

Tonight DH had a meeting so I enjoyed a big bowl of kale, bean and sausage soup along with some hummus and wheat bread. Felt like healthy comfort food. Felt I needed it after attending a heavy duty child abuse training today for my new volunteer CAP program.

Crazy week ahead...eating out almost every night until Sunday. Tomorrow heading into Boston to have dinner with DH2 at a new Seaport area restaurant, Gather. Interesting menu...hip with a smattering of healthy! He chose.......

Add me to the remedial blood work group! My cholesterol meds were changed a year ago because the FDA had some issues with the med/dose I was on. Got started on a new med and now my triglycerides are wonky... Now have bloodwork orders for thyroid and blood sugar... ay yi yi... Always eomething!

SpecialK, I do like oatmeal but stopped eating it because I get hungry within an hour and a half after eating it. But I'll start eating it again. Do you eat the steelcut? I also am prediabetic so am balancing two diets, but the Mayo web site said the diabetic diet is good for all around health. I see that you're on Femara. Does it make weight control difficult, like arimidex does?

Lacey, have you lost weight since increasing your exercise?

I'm signed up for a 3-day match play golf tournament and our weather has turned hot again.

Dinner tonight will be chicken enchiladas using some of the rotisserie chicken I bought yesterday at Sam's.

Wow, Special, six miles fast is impressive!

Yes, Carole, my weight is down 15 lbs over the last eight months. In addition to the exercise, I do try to limit my carbs, (reducing bread and pasta intake) and also find that my morning smoothies have been helpful for reducing my appetite. Now...all that said, I still allow myself some dessert or chocolate treats if I feel " the need" One has to enjoy life afterall! I could never be that ascetic in my approach to food!

lacey - I had reached the point that half way through the walk I was doing a combo of running and walking so that I can work up to a 5K race in Feb., but the skin cancer situation has derailed me (again - always seems to be something!) as they don't want me to exercise - particularly anything that will stretch the skin on my back. The first one was removed a week ago, I have one a week from now, then another two weeks after that, so I may just have to walk it and not do any running. I could be like the character in Seinfeld that did not swing her arms!

Tonight is lasagna with layers of ricotta with parmesan, marinara, meat, noodles, spinach, and mozzarella. We will probably have a salad of some kind also.

carole - Clearly I am not avoiding carbs while making lasagna for dinner! I have worked up to the six miles - there was a point after chemo that six blocks was out of the question! Yes, I do cook the steel cut oatmeal ahead. DH does not eat breakfast at home - he has a 30 mile drive to work and leaves the house at about 5:30 to avoid the traffic, so I cook it in a larger batch, pack up a portion with the blueberries and walnuts, and his lunch. When he gets to work he has a bit of quiet time right after arrival so he heats up the oatmeal and mixes in the additons and checks out his email. Yay for your golf! I once had a dream that I was a professional golfer - unfortunately it was only a dream, I am golf-challenged! Gotta yell fore on every hole, lol!

Luv, that my "last longer" breakfast, too! Whole grain bread or English muffin, peanut butter and half a banana. I bought almond butter today at Fresh Market. The "grind your own" with no ingredients but the toasted almonds. I've learned that a breakfast with no fat or protein races through my digestive tract.

The filling for the chicken enchiladas tonight will be roasted chicken and a mixture of black beans, corn, mild chilis, and salsa. A sprinkling of 2 percent Mexican grated cheese blend. The sauce is Hatch red canned sauce and more cheese sprinkled on top. The salad is a slaw with napa cabbage, yellow bell pepper, and fennel.

The current issue of Cooking Light has a casserole with chorizo that looks good. I located chorizo at Fresh Mkt. and it was $10.45 for a little loop. I didn't buy it. It must be good stuff at that price. I guess it's expensive because it's imported.

My mom in the oh early 60s used to make enchilada sauce. We had enchiladas and watched Bonanza. I wish I had her recipe but back then there wasn't a whole lot of choice but this was in Albuquerque so maybe there was more there. I think that's one thing I would like to learn to make well. I have tried the Hatch sauces and do like them. I did buy a bottle of Frontera I have not used yet. I also have trouble rolling up enchiladas and DH doesn't really care for flour tortillas in a casserole. Even Fiesta the big chain Mex. grocery did not have much selection of corn tort. yest. I did buy some flour tortillas that have to be browned in the skillet. I've seen these in the cold section at WalMart but not out on the shelf. I think I have everything to make chicken fajitas too so can use these. I did finally buy a tortilla warmer.